Hometown News For Orange County, Texas
Hometown News For Orange County, Texas
Sorted by date Results 1504 - 1528 of 15400
The Orange Lions Club is throwing some future shade and tasty treats around the eastern side of Orange County. A tree-planting drive, led by club member Ralph Thon and drawing physical support from Orange and Bridge City Lions as well as Master Gardeners, and fiscal support from several area businesses, has been a first-year success. The planting of 180 pecan trees and 105 Arctic Frost satsuma trees around county parks, churches and schools was completed under the direction...
Whether you call it a second wave or prefer to refer to "hot spots," Southeast Texas is seeing the biggest rise in COVID-19 cases reported since early May, when Texas began reopening businesses shut down to slow the spread of the new coronavirus. The last weekly numbers released on the Orange County Emergency Management website Friday, June 12 show an increase of 10 confirmed cases in the county – from 99 to 109 – from the previous report, issued on Wednesday, June 3. The numb...
Orange County reported its third fatality linked to the new coronavirus Wednesday as part of its worst five-day spike of new cases since the outbreak began locally in March. The so-called "weekly report" handed up from Orange Public Health Director Dr. Calvin Parker and released on the county's Emergency Management Facebook page showed 22 new cases of the COVID-19 respiratory disease. The number of total cases listed on the county's Emergency Management Facebook page jumped...
The number of new cases of covid-19 in Orange County continue to rocket up the charts with Wednesday afternoon's numbers released by health officials showing a record increase of 60 confirmed cases and 55 more active cases than a week before. The numbers, printed on the OC Emergency Management Department Facebook page, show that the Thursday June 23 statistics report dwarfs the numbers from the previous report from Wednesday June 17. Seven days ago, the County had 22 active...
Orange County football great and Baltimore Raven Earl Thomas III was back home on Saturday to host a drive-thru or picnic-style lunch giveaway for his hometown community. Nearly 1,000 meals were distributed to Orange residents during the 'Earl Thomas III Giving Back to the Community' event held at a staging area next to Lisa's Hair 'Tique Salon on 10th Street. Those in attendance were urged to respected social distancing and most wore masks as recommended to attend the event...
Cutline: Joe Henry and Linsey Williamson of Bridge City look over a pile of litter and trash alongside Bailey Road Tuesday afternoon. The pair is leading trash-off efforts set for July 11 and July 25. Cutline 2: Cleanup organizer Joe Henry points out old appliances dumped off Bailey Road in Bridge City. He and a neighbor are leading a 'Let's Make Bailey's Great Again' campaign. Cutline 3: The Rainbow Bridge sparkles in the distance as Joe Henry's flag-bedecked pickup truck is...
Finally-- the Bridge City High School Class of 2020 got their day on Saturday. With chairs spread across H.N. 'Moe' Litton Field the graduating students awaited their diplomas as family and friends watched from the home side of Larry Ward Stadium. In high schools across the country graduating ceremonies have been delayed or cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic. After many weeks of uncertainty about a graduation date, the departing seniors of BCHS took their bows and are now...
Lane Mooney says he's "ready to roll" as Orange County's new Sheriff. As such, he promises to go right to work for the taxpayers after he takes his oath of office at midnight as Tuesday, June 30 turns into Wednesday, July 1. "We have to swear in everybody that's on shift that night," he said referring to Sheriff's Office employees – the deputies and corrections officers – all of whom serve at the pleasure of the Sheriff and have to be re-sworn every four years. So then it'...
County Commissioners gave a lotta love to outgoing Sheriff Keith Merritt at Tuesday's meeting downtown. Then they gave him a bill. The bill was for $407 as Merritt purchased his service weapon, a 40 caliber Glock, a customary procedure for retiring Sheriff's Office employees. "The Sheriff has done a great job," Commissioner Theresa Beauchamp said as a plaque noting Merritt's 25 years of service to the county as deputy, constable, and, since 2009, Sheriff. It was the last...
After Houston native George Floyd died May 25 with a Minneapolis policeman kneeling on his neck, a lot of people had to wonder if their local law enforcers employed similar "use of force" techniques. A group of Orange women took it upon themselves to find out from Orange Police Chief Lane Martin and Orange County Sheriff Keith Merritt. The women liked what they heard. Both Martin and Merritt said no. "Sheriff Merritt said they do not train on the neck restraint used in the...
The freshly painted and newly rehabbed East Roundbunch Swing Bridge spanning Cow Bayou in Bridge City out toward Chemical Row. The bridge has been closed since state inspectors ruled it unsafe in March 2017. The projected 18 month rehabilitation of the bridge was delayed following Tropical Storm Harvey. A spokesperson for Texas Department of Transportation said the bridge and the road, a well-used shortcut from Bridge City to Chemical Row, should be open this...
The retirement LaVern and Ricky Sterling had planned for didn’t happen. God had a better plan. For the past 16 years, the North Orange couple has spent about half of every year living and working as Christian missionaries on the Navajo Nation Reservation in the northeast tip of New Mexico. “When I retired I intended to play golf or go fishing every day,” Ricky said. “But I sold the boat and I only play golf about once every two years.” “We sold the beach cabin,” LaVern says as...
The Pinehurst City Council voted to rename the 3500 block of Peacock Street to Zerko Lane, in honor of native son John Zerko, who is retiring from public service. City administrator Robbie Hood said the name change would be "honorary" and would not require an official name change in 911 directories. Hood has resigned his duties to take over as Vidor city manager. His younger brother, Jerry Hood, is replacing him at Pinehurst, as interim city administrator. "He's a sharp guy,"...
The Bridge City is on the grow as new businesses open and expansions are seen throughout the area. One example of that progress is seen above with the construction of what will become the new home of Olson Engineering, Inc.. The 22,000 square foot facility on FM 1442 near the Bridge City Elementary School is another step forward for the local company founded in 1998 by Mike and Karan Olson. The full service, multi-discipline engineering company are professional engineers from...
Making the best of a bad situation, educators have been busy since the onset of the coronavirus to think outside the box. It's paying off at Lamar State College Orange, which on June 3 set a new school standard for summer enrollment with 1,019 students. "It's a great day. I'm very excited," Dr. Tom Johnson, president of LSCO, said. "We made lemonade out of lemons this year." The two-year college in downtown Orange is waiving tuition and fees for two 3-hour summer classes in...
Why am I a Democrat? I am a Democrat because I believe in social justice. I believe in equality before the law for every person, regardless of race, religion, gender, sexual orientation or social status. The American ideal is in the Declaration of Independence, which says, "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of...
Orange County Sheriff Keith Merritt resigned Tuesday afternoon, effective June 30. Merritt, an Orange County lawman for more than 40 years, did not run for re-election in 2020. When he made that announcement in the fall, he said he was open to letting the new sheriff-elect, Lane Mooney, get an early start. But Merritt said two weeks ago he planned to serve through the end of his term in December. Tuesday, he said Mooney had agreed to take over in July. "It was my intention to...
Kacey Burnitt was installed as President of the Orange Lions Club at their clubs annual officer installation Monday. President Chris Kovatch presented Burnitt the gavel. Kovatch gave the clubs annual report. He also presented the Lion of the Year Award to Lion Ralph Thon and Rookie of the Year to Lion Tiffany Bell. The club officers installed were Terrie Salter, 1st Vice President, Grover Roberts III, 2nd Vice President, Ann Ellis, Secretary, Kovatch, Treasurer, Lois Hughes,...
Orange mayor calls for love, unity for citizens. Larry Spears, Jr., mayor of the city of Orange, issued the following statement to citizens Wednesday relating to last week's death in Minneapolis, Minn., of Houston native George Floyd while in police custody. To the Citizens of Orange, Texas: I wish to convey several thoughts about our mutual feeling of frustration concerning the horrific murder of Mr. George Floyd. I also wish to convey what we as a community must do to help...
Lamar State College Orange President Dr. Thomas Johnson announced Wednesday that the two-year college in downtown Orange has set a new summer enrollment record with 1,019 students. That number represents the number of students enrolled for classes as of June 3. He expects it to be broken many times before the summer semesters end in August. "It's a great day. I'm very excited," Johnson said. "We have made lemonade out of lemons this year." Johnson was referring to the...
Construction continues on the East Roundbunch Swing Bridge in Bridge City. On Monday afternoon a diver steps from a barge dropping down in to the brackish waters of Cow Bayou as crew members work to retrieve wrecked concrete pilings from the bottom. The bridge has been closed since state inspectors ruled it unsafe in March 2017. A spokesperson for Texas Department of Transportation said the bridge and the road, a well-used shortcut from Bridge City to Chemical Row, should be...
Cutline: Joel Ardoin was promoted to the position of Orange County Emergency Management Coordinator in 2018. If anybody in Orange County can be forgiven for constantly watching the weather radar, it has to be Joel Ardoin, Emergency Management Coordinator. But as Tropical Storm Cristobal bounced around the Bay of Campeche in the southern end of the Gulf of Mexico Tuesday afternoon, Ardoin didn't seem rattled. "They say it won't be any worse than a tropical storm or a low...
Republicans have resisted and attacked calls to expand the use of voting by mail for people who say they fear crowds because of the coronavirus pandemic. Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said, "this is a scam," adding it's laughable for people under 65 to fear voting in person. The Texas Supreme Court backed them up, ruling last week that a lack of immunity to the new coronavirus is not by itself a disability and does not meet the state's qualifications for voting by mail. The...
Graduation season for high school seniors in east Orange County commences Friday night. That's when socially distanced graduates of West Orange-Stark High School walk across a stage 6 feet apart and pick up their diplomas off a table. No handshaking allowed. Traditional graduations were pretty much nixed when the order for school closures was made in March as a preventive measure against the threat of Covid-19, which has killed more than 100,000 Americans this spring. When Pre...
The coronavirus and the disease it carries, Covid-19, haven’t slowed down efforts to improve drainage in Orange County. “Drainage is way better than it was a few years ago and they’re continuing to work on that,” said Joel Ardoin, emergency management coordinator for Orange County. On May 14, a slow-moving thunderstorm dumped nearly 10 inches of wet stuff in a three-hour period on some neighborhoods in Orange County. A handful of homes took on water. “I’m not sure how many hou...
